Combination carry bag and personal body armor

ABSTRACT

A combination carry bag and personal armor for concealing and carrying a weapon. The carry bag includes a bag, a weapon support, a ballistic protection member and a first flap. The bag defines a modular accessory compartment sized to receive the weapon. The weapon support is disposed within the modular accessory compartment and is connected to the bag. The weapon support is dimensioned to secure the weapon to the bag. The first flap extends from the bag and carries at least a portion of the ballistic protection member.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a structure that can be employed as a carry bag and which can be readily converted to a personal body armor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a carry bag which is capable of concealing an operator's weapon of choice, identification, extra magazines, OC/CS sprays, hand cuffs and the like, and which can be readily converted into a personal body armor capable of absorbing and dissipating the impact energy from projectiles, fragments and missiles.

2. Background

Personal body armor has been utilized by military and law enforcement personnel as a means for providing personal protection from bullets, fragments and other missiles. Personal body armor designs desirably provide a light weight, flexible configuration that prevents penetration of the projectile into the human body and minimizes both backside armor deformation and the transfer of energy into the human body.

Numerous types of personal body armor have here before been proposed, including jackets and hand held shields. However, a need exists for improved personal body armor, which can readily be employed when encountering an operative, and which can be employed for purposes other than body armor. It is to such a personal body armor that the present invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation of a law enforcement officer having a carry bag, constructed in accordance with the present invention, supported by an over-the-shoulder strap, the carry bag concealing the contents stored therein which include a weapon of choice, identification, extra magazines, OC/CS sprays, hand cuffs and the like.

FIG. 2 is a pictorial representation of the carry bag of FIG. 1 employed as a brief case or computer carrying case.

FIG. 3 is a pictorial representation of a law enforcement officer withdrawing a weapon from a concealed compartment of the carry bag while the carry bag is being shifted to a frontal position.

FIG. 4 is a frontal perspective view of the carry bag which can be converted into personal body armor in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rearward perspective view of the carrying bag of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a personal body armor formed by conversion of the carry bag in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of the personal body armor of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a fragmental perspective view of the personal body armor of the present invention showing a modular accessory compartment thereof.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of a ballistic protection member of the personal body armor of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to FIGS. 1-5, shown therein is a carry bag 10 which can be readily converted into personal body armor 12 (FIGS. 6-8). The carry bag 10 is provided with an interior portion capable of concealing a weapon, identification, extra magazines, OC/CS sprays, hand cuffs and the like of an individual 14, such as law enforcement personnel. The unique construction of the carry bag 10 which can readily be converted into the personal body armor 12 (i.e. a waist up frontal protection shield) enables the law enforcement personnel to withdraw a weapon 16 (FIG. 3) from the carry bag 10 while shifting the carry bag 10 to the front of the individual 14 for conversion of the carry bag 10 into personal body armor 12 (FIG. 6). The carry bag 10 can be made to look like a brief case, back pack or a computer bag. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, and as will be discussed in more detail herein after, the carry bag 10 is provided with a bag 17 defining a center pocket 18 which can be used to store items 20, such as a lap top computer, magazines, papers and the like. The bag 17 is provided with a zipper 19 for selectively opening and closing the center pocket 18.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the carry bag 10 includes a handle 22, an adjustable shoulder strap 24, a waist belt 26, a plurality of side pockets 28 and an elasticized or adjustable neck strap 30. The bag further includes a first flap 32 and quick release mechanism 34 for releasing the first flap 32 to provide access to the zippered center pocket 18 (FIG. 2). As will be described in more detail herein after, the quick release mechanism 34 is also employed when converting the carry bag 10 into the personal body armor 12 (FIG. 6) and the elasticized or adjustable neck strap 30 is connected to a lower edge 35 of the first flap 32. The handle 22 is connected to the first flap 32. The adjustable shoulder strap 24 is connected to the bag 17. The waist belt 26 is connected to the bag 17.

The side pockets 28 can be employed to carry water bottles, a dictaphone and other items. The size of the pockets 28 will vary depending upon the size of the items stored therein. However, it should be noted that the side pockets 28 must be sized and positioned so as to not interfere with easy access to a modular accessory compartment 36 (FIG. 8) and rapid and easy access to the weapon 16 supported within the modular accessory compartment 36 via an opening 38 in a side portion 40 of the bag 17 (FIG. 3).

The first flap 32, also functions as an upper portion 42 of the personal body armor 12, and the bag 17 functions as a lower portion 43 of the personal body armor 12 substantially as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. If desired, a source identifier 44, such as POLICE, FBI, SWAT, CIA, ATF and the like, can be provided on the first flap 32 such that the source identifier 44 is readily veiwable when the personal body armor 12 is secured on the individual 14 as shown in FIG. 6. The first flap 32 is provided with a detachable piece of material 46 (FIG. 7) so that the source identifier 44 is hidden from view when the first flap 32 is in a raised position for permitting access to the zippered center pocket 18 as shown in FIG. 2. However, when the carry bag 10 is converted into the personal body armor 12, the piece of material 46 can be easily removed so that the source identifier 44 is readily visible.

The carry bag 10 further includes a second flap 48 and a molle 50 (FIG. 8) which cooperate to define the modular accessory compartment 36 of the carry bag 10. Quick release components 52, such as velcro®, are disposed about at least a portion of the perimeter of the molle 50 and aligned portions of the second flap 48. Thus, the second flap 48 can be secured over the molle 50 in a stable position to conceal the contents of the modular accessory compartment 36 as shown in FIG. 6; or the second flap 48 can be disconnected from the quick release components 52 and allowed to hang in a downward position whereby the contents of the modular accessory compartment 36 are visible and readily accessible to the individual 14 while the personal body armor 12 provides waist-up protection to the individual 14. The quick release connection of the second flap 48 to the molle 50 along their respective side portions permits the individual 14 to readily grasp items stowed in the modular accessory compartment 36, such as the weapon 16 (FIG. 6). To support the weapon 16, the bag 17 is provided with a weapon support 53 connected to the molle 50 in the modular accessory compartment 36. The weapon support 53 can be a holster, for example.

When the carry bag 10 is supported on the individual's shoulder via the adjustable strap 24 and a situation arises wherein it is necessary to provide the individual 14 with waist up frontal protection, the individual 14 shifts the carry bag 10 to a frontal position and, if necessary, withdraws the weapon 16 from the modular accessory compartment 36 of the carry bag 10 substantially as shown in FIG. 3. Once the carry bag 10 has been positioned in front of the individual 14, the quick release mechanisms 34 are released and the elasticized or adjustable neck strap 30, which is connected to and extends from the lower edge 35 end of the first flap 32, is grasped by the individual 14 and positioned about the individual's neck (FIG. 6). Once the elasticized or adjustable neck strap 30 has been properly positioned around the individual's neck, the piece of material 46 can be removed to expose the source identifier 44. It should be noted that the piece of material 46 covering the source identifier 44 can either be sewn along one edge so that it can be quickly removed to reveal the source identifier 44, or it can be temporarily attached in a covering position over the source identifier 44 by velcro®, snaps and the like which permit the individually to grasp and quickly remove the piece of material 46 so the source identifier 44 is readily visible.

Once the personal body armor 12 has been properly positioned on the individual 14 the personal body armor 12 provides a waist up frontal shield for the individual 14. To stabilize the personal body armor 12 on the individual, the waist belt 26 can be secured about the individual's waist. When the personal body armor 12 is properly positioned on the individual 14 as shown in FIG. 6, the modular accessory compartment 36 is readily accessible to the individual 14.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 7, access to an inner bag compartment 54 of the personal body armor 12 is provided via an opening 56 which is selectively opened and closed via a zipper 58. The inner bag compartment extends the length of the first flap and the length of the back side of the lower panel The inner bag compartment 54 is configured and sized to receive a ballistic protection member 60 (FIG. 9) for providing ballistic protection from the combined height of the bag 17 and the first flap, i.e., from the waist or groin of the individual 14, to the individual's chest, depending on the height of the individual 14.

Ballistic protection members, as well as the material from which they are made, are well known in the art. Thus, no further comments concerning the ballistic protection member 60 or its construction is believed necessary. The material forming the bag 17 and/or the first flap can be constructed of one or more layers of ballistic protection material, such as kevlar. In addition, the personal body armor 12 can be provided with a pocket (not shown) positioned so as to cover the heart area of the individual 14. A ballistic plate, such as a ceramic, steel or titanium ballistic plate can then be positioned in the pocket to provide additional protection to the heart area of the individual 14.

The unique construction of the present invention permits the individual 14 to have access to the items 20 stored within the modular accessory compartment 36 when same is used as either the carry bag 10 (FIG. 3) or as personal body armor 14 (FIG. 6). Further, the modular accessory compartment 36 can be tailored to store and conceal various types of items, such as the weapon 16, ammunition, flashlight(s), hand cuffs or the like. The weapon 16 can be a pistol or a small rifle. For example, the weapon 16 can be an automatic or semi-automatic rifle, a semi-automatic pistol, a machine pistol, or a shotgun. In addition, the first flap 32, which constitutes the upper portion 42 of the personal body armor 12 when the carry bag 10 is converted into the personal body armor 12 as herein before described, can be provided with one or more pockets 62 carrying zip or key cuffs and the like (FIG. 7). Further, when the neck strap 30 is an adjustable neck strap the position of the personal body armor 12 on the individual 14 can be altered to customize the personal body armor 12 for the individual 14.

From the above description, it becomes clear that the combination carry bag and personal body armor of the present invention offers rapid response and protection during covert or in off-duty situations, doubles as a carry bag and personal body armor for waist up frontal protection that hold the individuals weapon of choice, plus identification, extra magazines, OC/CS spray, handcuffs, etc. Further, the combination carry bag and personal body armor is designed to deceive even when open and the weapon 16 and equipment remain concealed due to the second flap 48 covering the weapon 16 and equipment. In addition, the weapon 16 can be withdrawn from the modular accessory compartment 36 of the carry bag 10 while sliding the carry bag 10 around to the front of the body. Thus, the present invention is the only truly convert ballistic protection system, which is able to be worn in anything from a bathing suit to a tuxedo, is designed for any weapon, is totally flexible and will not impede operational tactics while providing the individual with level II A to IV A protection.

The exact dimensions and proportions of the elements described herein are not essential to the practice of the present invention, but are intended to illustrate the general nature of the embodiments of the present invention. Changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention described herein, or in the parts or the elements of the embodiments described herein, or in the steps or sequence of steps of the methods described herein, without departing from the spirit and/or the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A combination carry bag and personal armor for concealing and carrying a weapon, comprising: a bag defining a modular accessory compartment sized to receive the weapon; a weapon support disposed within the modular accessory compartment and connected to the bag, the weapon support dimensioned to secure the weapon to the bag; a ballistic protection member; and a first flap extending from the bag and carrying at least a portion of the ballistic protection member.
 2. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 1, wherein the ballistic protection member is substantially coextensive with a portion of the flap.
 3. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 1, wherein the bag has a side defining an opening providing access to the modular accessory compartment.
 4. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 3, further comprising means for releasably sealing the opening providing access to the modular accessory compartment.
 5. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 1, wherein the first flap is connected to an upper edge of the bag, and wherein the combination carry bag and personal armor further comprises a neck strap connected to a lower edge of the first flap.
 6. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 5, wherein the neck strap is constructed of an elastic material.
 7. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 5, wherein the neck strap is adjustable.
 8. The combination carry bag and personal armor of claim 5, further comprising a waist strap connected to the bag.
 9. A method for protecting an individual, comprising the steps of: storing a weapon in a weapon support of a modular accessory compartment of a bag to conceal the weapon and to secure the weapon to the bag; converting the bag into a personal body armor; and securing the personal body armor to the individual.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of converting the bag into a personal body armor comprises the steps of: releasing a first flap from the bag, the first flap having at least a portion of a ballistic protection member; and placing a neck strap secured to the first flap around the individual's neck to support the first flap 32 and the bag 17 vertically along the upper torso of the individual 14 such that the ballistic protection member is proximate to the individual's chest.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of securing a waist belt of the bag around the individual's waist. 